came into being more than 25 years ago with the
mission of understanding the relationship between
humans and computers, often with an eye toward
improving the technology’s design. but that
relationship has since been altered so radically—
changes in the sociotechnical landscape have been
so great—that many in the community of HCI
researchers and practitioners are questioning where
the field is headed. Computer systems now intrude
on our lives as well as disappear into the world
around us, they monitor as well as guide us, and they
coerce as well as aid us. Thus there are debates about
such fundamentals as what HCI’s goals should be,
how it should do its work, and whether its methods
remain relevant.

the complexity of technologies that hci now
encounters can be attributed to the major
transformations that have redefined our
relationship with technology. this article
explores five such transformations, also
reflected in this image. can you find them?